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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27220678">The Deep Dark</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syndcates/pseuds/Syndcates'>Syndcates</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mianite - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crisis of Faith, Dark!Jordan, Dark!Tom - Freeform, Other, Realm of Mianite, Sort Of, about block game, and we love him for it, but its here, but theres some, haha jk...... unless?, i wrote lots of this while very tired so, its not great, jordan gets to be feral for a bit, too much worldbuilding, very little plot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:14:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,931</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27220678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syndcates/pseuds/Syndcates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jordan falls. Tom follows.</p><p>(aka: Jordan goes Dark, and Tom can't just leave his friend alone.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tom Cassell &amp; Jordan Maron</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Deep Dark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Coming through the End Portal feels like falling into cold water, freezing against your skin, sharp and stinging. The feeling fades, in time, but many cannot shake the everlasting cold from their skin until they leave the realm, breath fogging, ears and cheeks and any skin that’s unfortunately being shown growing numb and cold. At least Tom’s a corpse. Cant get much colder than that.</p><p>Shaking out the pins and needles in his fingers, Tom sighs. He needs to find Jordan and fast. Every second he wastes lingering at the main island is another second he doesn’t have to find Jordan with.</p><p>The End is vast and Dark, cold and quiet, a sense of stillness in the air. The flight from the main island towards the cluster of islands Tom knows Jordan likes to visit is lonely and quiet, save for the sound of his elytra in the wind. The islands appear in the distance, bright against the pitch black of the void. There’s a strange lack of endermen that only further Tom's worry. All he can besides the darkness is the rough yellow-white endstone, and the towering chorus plants reaching into the void above. Tom wonders if their roots touch the Void underneath the islands, too. Everything reaches for the void here, even the sky ships and homes that stretch up and up and up into the Dark. </p><p>The Dark permeates everything in the End, surrounds it in a bubble that both protects it and blocks it from the other realms, from the Light. It seeps into the stone, tingeing the chorus trees a dark purple, the fruits filled with the same void magic used by the endermen.  Really, it shouldn’t be a surprise for Tom that his friend is so drawn to it, to the Dark, given his lady’s claim on this realm. How he’s drowned in it, barely clinging to the Light to keep the balance. Though, Tom knows it’s been longer than that. </p><p>It’s happened over weeks–months, really, and isn’t that sad to think about? Jordan, his friend, his <em> best </em> friend, being slowly pushed away and made to feel lesser, worthless and unwanted. His turn to the Dark hadn’t started with the potion or the cat. No, Tom knows that the Dark had sunk its teeth into Jordan long, long before they had fallen into the Isles. Possibly even before their first world with the gods.</p><p>Tom spots him, standing over the edge of the precipice, staring down into the endless void beneath the end stone island. Jordan’s hair is blowing gently in the wind, arms limp at his sides. His heart would be pounding in his chest if it could, breath caught in his throat as Jordan shakes. He’s reminded of another End, a Jordan with dust-covered clothes and a blank stare, and just… shaking. Tom almost wonders how Jordan can stand the bitterly cold winds on his bare skin and he remembers. A god’s vow of protection can never really be broken. It settles over the body like a second skin, invisible to all but the gods themselves. It’s why he never gets hot in the Nether, though he supposes he may have to worry about that now, after defying Dianite’s orders. Tom swallows back the sudden fear that rises in his throat. He may not get to <em> go </em> back, after this.</p><p>He presses forwards, watching with bated breath as he comes closer and closer to Jordan. The wind seems to settle down as Tom gets closer, casting an eerie silence over their small area. He’s only a few meters away when he stops, sees Jordan’s head fall back slightly. Tom opens his mouth to speak after a moment, but Jordan beats him to it.</p><p>“…Go home, Tom,” Jordan says, voice quiet and desperate, “You– You don’t need to be here. You <em> shouldn’t </em> be here.” His shoulder’s square and Tom can see his hands forming shaking fists, the veins of his forearms darkened by void magic. Tom’s eyes close for a moment forcing back the sting he feels deep in his chest.</p><p>“Yeah, I shouldn’t,” Tom says softly, opening his eyes to stare at Jordan’s back, “But I am, Jordan. I’m here because you’re my friend and I need to make sure you’re alright.”</p><p>“<em> But you don’t </em>,” Jordan says almost desperately as if he’s trying to make himself believe his own words, “You don’t need to do that, and you definitely don’t want to be-” Jordan laughs dejectedly, “-stuck out here with me. I know I’m a burden to you Tom, but you don’t have to pretend like you care. I get it, I know-”</p><p>“-No, you <em> don’t </em> get it Jordan,” Tom replies, beginning to get irritated, “I don’t care about the gods or the stones or Gandus, or, or– or any of that <em> bullshit </em> , Jordan.” He swallows past the lump in his throat, blinks away the tears in his eyes. “I care about <em> you </em> , Jordan. You’re-” Tom’s voice cracks, and he stifles the urge to cry, “You’re my best friend. Of course I <em> care </em> about you, Jordan, or else I wouldn’t <em> be </em> out here. I wouldn’t bother if I didn’t care.”</p><p>“Tom-” Jordan turns, face streaked with tears, eyes darker than Tom’s ever seen them, “-You need to <em> stop </em> , Tom. I’ve ruined your life enough. <em> Go home. </em>”</p><p>“I’m not going,” Tom stresses, arms raising as he gestures towards Jordan, “I know you, Jordan. You haven’t <em> ruined </em> anything – You’ve actually made my life <em> better </em>. I’m not letting you isolate yourself just because of - of what happened.” Both of them stared at the other for a moment, breathing heavily as Jordan uses his sleeves to wipe the tears from his eyes. His hair is dark, almost blending into the void, a far cry from the brown curls Tom was used to seeing. It was like the Dark itself was seeping into him, under his skin and into his blood, his very being.</p><p>“You know I...” Jordan crossed his arms over his chest, hunching in on himself, staring down at the endstone as he scuffed his foot against it idly, “I can’t go back. Tom.” He finally met Tom’s eyes again, eyes purple-blue-black, swirling and shifting in the dim light of the void, “I can’t go back now, after… after everything that happened. And because you’re here, that means <em> you </em> can’t go back either.” Jordan rubbed at his arms, eyes tinged with red, cheeks and nose flushed.</p><p>“Yeah,” Tom says quietly, barely heard over the wind. “I’m not…” He took a deep breath, “I’m not going back, Jordan. Wasn’t planning on it, really.” A laugh bubbles out from his chest, cynical and tired. “That’s why I’m here, Jordan. I’m not going to just <em> leave </em> you alone. Plus… Well, Dianite doesn’t exactly want me either, with what’s happened.” Didn’t want me before either, he adds in his head.</p><p>“<em> But you shouldn’t, Tom </em> ,” Jordan stresses, voice desperate, “This is–This is <em> bigger </em> than Dianite and Ianite, <em> more </em> than the gods. It’s Dark and Light, and I’m-” Jordan’s voice cracked, and he paused in his frantic speaking, “I’m <em> Dark </em> , Tom. I’ve <em> always </em> been Dark and-and it’s just a part of me. It has been forever. I’m everything that we’ve been fighting against and I-”</p><p>“And?” Tom says, “So <em> what </em> , Jordan? So what if you’re Dark or whatever. I <em> know </em> you. You aren’t like World Historian or Cronos or Gandus- You just <em> aren’t </em> . You’re Dark, sure, but you aren’t <em> evil </em>,”</p><p>“That’s not <em> it </em> , Tom.” Jordan rubs his hands over his face roughly, gritting his teeth, “It’s- The Dark inside of me is– changing me. It’s affecting the balance and I…” Jordan shook his head, “And I <em> like it </em> , Tom I like not having to carry the weight of the world’s balance on my shoulders. I like being able to do what I want without worrying about what it’ll do to Ianite, to the world. It’s… <em> fun </em>. Freeing.” Tom nods, watches as Jordan curls and uncurls his fists erratically. He knows that feeling, knows how addictive it is once you get a taste of it. </p><p>“But I’m…. stuck. Ianite is different here. <em> Obviously </em>,” Jordan laughs bitterly, “But she’s–she’s not right, she doesn’t care about the things I do and… and I’m not-” Jordan made a frustrated sound and ran his hands through his hair.</p><p>“I know,” Tom said softly, “I know, Jordan. But you don’t have to throw yourself off of into the Void to –I don’t know– prove yourself or anything,” He frowns and crosses his arms over his chest, “You don’t have to do anything, we can just - exist, o-or something. Just relax, for once in five fucking years.” He said with a laugh.</p><p>“That’d be nice,” Jordan said after a moment, voice quiet and thoughtful, before he shakes his head, “But we <em> can’t </em> , Tom. We’re too… I don’t know. Important? Useful? For the gods, I mean. And the powers greater than them. They won’t let us just walk away from them, Tom. They need to know that we’re–That <em> I’m </em> gone from them. Forever,” He insists, looking at Tom with determination in his eyes. “I need to jump if I want to be free, Tom.”</p><p>“But you don’t have to be <em> alone </em>, Jordan,” Tom says, reaching for Jordan, becoming desperate,, “I’ll go with you, I can-”</p><p>“<em> No </em> , Tom,” Jordan replies sternly, taking a step backwards, towards the ledge. His jacket is starting to whip in the wind more violently, hand clenched in tight fists. “No, you <em> can’t </em> come with me. This is–You have things to go back to, Tom.” Jordan’s voice breaks, his eyes glassy with tears, “Your father, Dianite, Karl, Orion – Everyone needs you, Tom. I’m not- They can replace me, Tom. They can’t replace you. They <em> need </em> you.”</p><p>“But <em> I </em> need <em> you </em>, Jordan,” Tom takes a step forwards, hand shaking, “You’re – Jordan you’re my best friend, my whole fucking world. I’m not letting you do this by yourself, dickhead.” Jordan shakes his head, glancing over his shoulder to peer into the void below. He swallowed, taking a deep breath before looking back at Tom, jaw set.</p><p>“You can’t come with me Tom. This isn’t something I’m coming back from and,” Jordan’s heels were against the edge of the island, standing dangerously close to the edge, “and I’m ruining the chances you have left by forcing you to come with me.”</p><p>“Jordan-”</p><p>“<em> No </em>, Tom,” Jordan said firmly, squaring his shoulders, “That’s my final answer. I’m not making you come with me, and that’s final.” He blinked back tears, voice shaking, “Goodbye Tom.”</p><p>“Wait, Jordan-” Tom yelled as Jordan let himself lean back into the embrace of the Void, feet slipping off the edge of the platform as he began to fall. Scrambling forwards, Tom fought the panic rising in his chest. He couldn’t let Jordan go alone, not when he could do something about it.</p><p>Tom’s hands stretch out, fingers just barely grabbing onto Jordan’s jacket. His fingers dig into the soft black fabric and for a second, Jordan stares at him in confusion.</p><p>“Tom?” He mouths, voice lost in the wind, the momentum of Jordan’s fall pulling Tom forward, over the edge with him. Tom tries to keep his footing, but Jordan wants to fall. He wants the Dark, wants to feel in control and useful and <em> wanted </em>. Tom knows that, understands that. He closes his eyes, pulls Jordan tight against him as the wind starts to howl around them.</p><p>What was it that Jordan had said once? “<em> It’s just a leap of faith, Tom. </em>”</p><p>Tom closes his eyes and braces for the landing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>habby halloween gang!! have some dark jordan as a treat.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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